Method of and automatic apparatus for coating bottle necks



May 25, 1937. E. T. FVERNGREN 2,081,478

METHOD OF AND AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR COATING BOTTLE NECKS ATTORN EYS May 25, 1937. E. T. FERNGREN 2,0815478 METHOD OF'AND AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR COATING BOTTLE'NECKS Filed Sept. 1l, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO R N EYS May 25,1937. E. T. FERNGREN 2,081,478

METHOD OF AND AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR COATING BOTTLE NECKS Filed Sept. 1l, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 l PTE-.5. [/l// '4 ff//l////l/l//l/f//l/ PIE-.5.

INVENTOR May 25, 1937. E. T. FERNGREN 2,081,478

` METHOD OF AND AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR COATING BOTTLE NECKS Filed Sept. l1, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN'roR fnac/1 7. rnrm ATTORNEYS Patented May 25, 1937 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF AND AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR COATING BOTTLE NECKS Enoch T. Ferngren, Toledo, Ohio, assgnor to Fernplas Corporation, a corporation of Dela- Ware Application September 11, 1934, Serial No. 743,559

7 Claims.

This .invention relates to a method of and automatic apparatus for coating bottle necks and has for its general object the provision of. a method by which bottle necks may be coated accurately, uniformly and quickly and automatic apparatus for carrying out the method. For example, previously closed bottles may be sealed or decorated by ythis operation. Minor objects and details of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is aY partial plan view of one form of apparatus embodying the invention and disclosing particularly the loading portions of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the discharge portion of the apparatus; Figure 3 is a partial vertical section showing particularly a bottle in the coating position and associated apparatus; Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section of the apparatus taken adjacent to the discharge position, and

Fig. 5 is a detail view in plan illustrating the apparatus for opening and closing the bottle holder. f In the form of apparatus illustrated there is a base I0 on which there is formed a pedestal I I having fixed therein an upright post I2. At the upper end of pedestal I I there is a bearing I3 upon which there is mounted a sleeve I4 rotatable about vpost I2. A gear wheel I5 is xed to the lower end of sleeve I4.

Mounted at one side of base I0 there is a motor I6 driving a worm I 1, which engages with a worm wheel I8 fixed upon the lower end of a shaft I9 journaled in a bracket 20 mounted upon the upper end of pedestal II. On the upper end of shaft I9 there is a gear 2| meshing with the teeth 22 of gear I5. By this means it will be seen that sleeve I4 is rotated constantly.

Uponthe central portion of shaft I9' there is 40 mounteda sprocket wheel 23 driving a chain 24, which in turn drives a sprocket wheel 25 on the lower end of a shaft 26 mounted in an extension of bracket 20. The upper end of shaft 26 carries a plurality of arms 21, sweeping over a table 248 and within a guide 29, which is directed over a conveyor 30.

The structure just described is shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and comprises a part of the discharge apparatus, as will be explained later.

The charging apparatus shown in plan view in Fig. 1 is similar in some respects to the discharging apparatus. It comprises a. guide 3| curving around from the conveyor 30 and over a support 32. A shaft 33 similar to shaft 26 is (Cl. Ill- 42) driven in any suitable manner and carries charging discs 34, as will be described more fully later.

The upper portion of sleeve I4 carries a table 35 on which there are mounted a plurality of brackets 36. In each pair of brackets 36 there is 5 rotatably mounted a shaft 31 to which are fixed arms 38 of a bottle carrier.

Shaft 31 likewise has aiixed thereto a gear 39 meshing with a rack 4I). Rack 40 is mounted `upon a slide 4I on the inner end of which there 10 is a roller 42 pressed against a cam 43 by a spring 44. f Cam 43 is mounted stationarilyon post I2 above the rotatable sleeve I4. Slide 4I is guided in a suitable slideway 45 on table 35.

On arms 38 there is mounted a shaft 46 car- 15 rylng a guide 41 adapted to receive the neck 48 of a bottle 49 resting upony a platform 50, which is also supported from brackets 38. Likewise mounted on arms 38 are pivot pins 5I for arms 52,the outer ends of which arms carry rollers 53 20 adapted toI contact a bottle. The rear end of one arm 52 is provided with a downwardly projecting pin 54 (see Fig. 5), while the rear end of the other arm is provided with a downwardly projecting pin 55. A compression spring 56 between the rear 25 ends of the arms 52 normally urges the front ends of the arms towards each other, so as to press the rollers 53 against the bottle. Lugs 51 are provided on the arms to prevent the rear ends from spreading too far in case a bottle should 30 not be placed in the holder.

A shaft 60 is rotatably mounted at the rear end of platform 50 and on its upper end carries a head 6I with a lug 62 adapted to contact pin 54 and a lug 63 adapted to contact pin 55. The 35 lower end of the shaft 68 carries a crank arm 64 provided with a roller 65. When the' carrier is swung down to thev positions in which it is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, roller 65 is moved behind a cam 66, which forces the roller to the position in which 40 it is shown in Fig. 4 and thereby rocks head 6I to bring the rear ends of arms 52 towards each other, compressing spring 56 and spreading rollers 53 apart.

Immediately above cam 43 and in the form 45 shown integral therewith there is a plate 10 having on its outer edge a spiral gear 1I. Aspiral gear 12 freely mounted upon shaft 31 meshes with spiral gear 1I and also with a spiral gear 13 loose upon shaft 46. The spiral gear 13 also 50 vmeshes with a spiral gear 14 secured to a shaft 15, which cari-les al roller 16 engaging a bottle in the holder.

Mounted on the top end of post I2 there is a basin providing a dipping pool 8|, there being 55 a passage 82 from the pool to a socket 83 immediately above post I2 in which there ts the neck 84 of a suitable container 85 for the coating liquid to be employed. It will be readily seen that the liquid will be maintained in the pool at a height determined by the wall on the upper side of the passage 82, since additional liquid will flow from container 85 whenever air is admitted through passage 82.

Above the pool 8| there is a freely rotatable cover 86 provided with a plurality of openings 81 and with corresponding notches 88. A weh on member 41 fits into a notch when the bottle carrier is swung by rack 40 to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 and there are always a plurality of carriers in position to engage certain of these notches, so that the cover 86 is continuously rotated with the bottle holders. The bottle necks, as will be readily seen from Figs. 1 and 2, swing over openings 81 and down into position in those openings.

The main features of the construction having beenpointed out the operation yof thel device will now be described:

A plurality of bottles are placed upon conveyor 30 and, as shown in Fig. 1, are, brought to disks 34 which are notched,..-as'indicated at 89. These disks are driven in any suitable manner which may be similar to the manner in which shaft 26 is driven. The drive for shaft 33 and disks 34 is not shown.' When a bottle enters notches 89 in the disks 34, it is moved from the belt 30 against guide 3l and over table 32 into position in a holder and upon platform 50 thereof.

As the carrier table 35 continues to rotate, roller 65 is moved beyond cam 66 and allows rollers 53 to be pressed against the bottle by spring 56. By reason of the engagement'of the train of spiral gears with gear 1I, the continuous movement of the holder about the central post continuously rotates roller 16 and accordingly rotates bottle 49 when it is clamped thereagainst.

When the bottle has been securely clamped in the holder, cam 43 actuates the holder to swing it about the axis of the shaft 31 to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3 where the neck is dipped into the liquid of pool 8|. It will be readily understood that the bottle is rotated so that its top side moves forward faster than its under side, the result being that the neck rolls over the surface of the pool somewhat in the manner of a Wagon wheel, and accordingly picks up a coating from the surface with the least possible disturbance of the pool or movement of the film of material after it has contacted the bottle. In this way a coating 96 is formed upon the neck up to line 9|.

After the bottle neck has been thus coated cam 43 recedes, as indicated in dotted lines at 92 on Fig. 1, thereby raising the bottle neck `out of the end of the pool. Because of the relation of the holder to spiral gear 12 and drive gear 1I, it

willbe seen that when the bottle neck is raised, A'

the rotation of the bo-ttle is speeded up.- After the neck has passed beyond pool 88 it is lowered once more by a rise on cam 43, as indicated by dotted lines at 93 on Fig. 1. This lowering of the neck with its movement of the holder about shaft 31 slows up the rotation of the bottle neck, so that the excess liquid readily drops therefrom into a drain basin indicated by 'dotted lines at 94 on Fig. 1. After the excess liquid has drained from the bottle neck, it is once more raised as it reaches the end of rise 93 on cam 43, the

result being to temporarily speed up the rotation of the bottle during this lifting of the neck, thereby insuring the even spreading of any slight amount of liquid which is still iiuid enough `to run.

Thereafter the holder continues to revolve about the central post until it approachesthe discharge position, then the lcam 43 allows the swinging of the holder back to discharging and receiving position. Roller 65 thereupon encounters cam 66 and releases the bottle from rollers 53, as indicated at Fig. 2. An adjustable screw 95 limits the movement of the holder in this direction and thereby accuratelypositions it in relation to the discharge device. Arms 21 thereupon shift the bottle from platform 50 to support 28 and continue to move the bottle over support 28 against guide 29 until the bottle is slid onto conveyor 30, on which it is conveyed to any desired point.

It will be readily understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the desired apparatus within the scope of the appended claims.

The described apparatus provides means by which a series of bottles may be automatically and successively fed to the dipping machine, their necks dipped and coated and then the bottles automatically discharged and carried off to a desired delivery point.

An important feature of the invention is the construction by which the bottles are carried in succession; past the coating basin with their necks converging, so that the bottles may be moved with considerable rapidity and quite close together, while their necks are moved in the coating liquid at a suciently slow rate of speed so as to avoid undue disturbance ofthe coating liquid.

Another important feature is that by which the coating action is obtained with a proper rate of rotation of the bottle, the neck is raised from the coating pool while the speed of rotation is being increased so as to pick up on the neck the portion of the solution in contact therewith, while immediately thereafter the speed of rotation is once more decreased, so as to allow proper draining of ythe excess liquid from the neck, and finally. the speed of rotation is again increased temporarily to spread the final drop of liquid clinging to the surface of the neck, so as to avoid any irregularity in the coating due to the final draining of the excess liquid from the neck.

While these important features have been pointed out, it will be understood that other features within the terms of the claims also contribute tothe success of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A method of coating a bottle neck which comprises dipping the neck of the bottle into a pool of coating liquid kwith the mouth of the bottle directed downward, rotating the bottle about its axis while the neck is dipped in the pool, removing the neck from the pool, speeding up the rotation of the neck as it is being removed from the pool, then slowing up the rotation of the neck and allowing excess liquid to drain therefrom, and nally speeding up the rotation of the neck and stopping the draining action.

2. Apparatus for coating a bottle neck comprising means providing a pool of suitable coating liquid, a holder for a bottle, means to actuate the holder to dip the neck of a bottle therein into the pool, means to rotate the bottle about its own axis in the holder, and means to move the holder to carry the neck away from the pool and to draining position, the said bottle-rotating means including gearing coordinated with the dipping means to rotate the bottle at a predetermined speed while it is being dipped, to speed up the rotation while'the neck is being removed from dipping position, to slow up the rotation during draining and to speed up the rotation at the end of the draining period.

3. Apparatus for coating bottle necks comprising a rotary carrier and an annular series of bottle holders mounted on the carrier, means providing a pool of suitable coating liquid within the circle of holders, means for'oscillating each holder from a position in which it holds a bottle with its neck directed upward to a position in which it holds a bottle with its neck directed inward toward said pool, said pool being in the path of movement of bottle necks in saidholders when the holders are in their last said position.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 and y comprising means for loading bottles into said holders while they are intheir upright position.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 and comprising means for discharging bottles from said holders while they are in upright position.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 and comprising a cover rotatable with the carrier and over the pool, said cover being provided with a series of openings each in the path of movement of the neck of a bottle as the holder carries the bottle from upright position to a position in which the neck is directed into the pool.

'7. The method of coating the neck of a container which comprises moving the neck of the container horizontally over'and in contact with a pool of liquid coating material and simultaneously rotating the container at such a rate as to give its neckV a peripheral speed of rotation substantially equal to its bodily horizontal speed, whereby said neck rolls over and along the liquid substantially like a wagon wheel rolling along a. road.`

ENOCH T. FERNGREN. 

